What do students really think about artificial intelligence in the classroom? In this episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, Managing Editor Matt Baney sits down with eight winners of the Tribune’s first High School Excellence Awards to discuss how AI is shaping education — and what it means for their future.

Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:36 Explaining High School Excellence 1:12 Athletics winner: Cody Ells, Asotin 1:31 Academics winner: Macallan Christensen, Salmon River 1:48 Arts winner: Aidan McFetridge, Lewiston 2:08 Stem winner: Nicholas Lee, Pullman 2:25 CTE winner: Solomon Trankle, Kamiah 2:38 Community/Civic Leadership winner: Bianca Boreson, Clarkston 3:19 Environmental Stewardship winner: Payton Laney, Colton 3:48 Natural Uplifter winner: Jenna Denuit, Grangeville 4:09 Editor's Choice winner: Will Mahorney, Nezperce 4:55 Unsung hero winner: Johnny Carpenter 5:19 The youth take on education today 9:25 The challenges of AI 14:15 Cause of concern for the younger generation and AI 18:36 How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect this crop of learners? 22:12 The youth’s thoughts on the future 27:57 Is AI a net positive or negative? 31:35 How can AI affect a creative workspace?

What’s happening with wolves, public lands, and this year’s Spring Chinook season?

In this episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, Managing Editor Matt Baney sits down with outdoor editor Eric Barker to discuss political action committees (PACs) forming around wolves and public lands — and what they could mean for policy and the future of access.

Plus, Barker shares his outlook for the 2026 Spring Chinook season, including a look at a new app that allows anglers to tag their catch.

Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:27 What is the fish wrap? 1:07 Public Lands issue still hot 14:10 Wolves in Washington/Idaho 24:56 Spring chinook outlook 31:24 What outdoor events is Barker looking forward to?

What went wrong during Idaho’s 2026 legislative session? In this episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, Managing Editor Matt Baney sits down with Opinion Page Editor Marty Trillhaase to break down what he’s calling a “legislative mess” and what it means for the state moving forward.

Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:24 Were we left a stinking pile of legislative mess? 1:55 Breaking down Idaho’s budget 4:15 Will the deficit be worse next year? 4:48 Why didn’t Idaho draw the rainy day fund 5:10 The big unknown about the big beautiful bill 7:00 Will Idaho regret not passing an open primary? 7:20 Spending a lot of time on the culture wars 11:31 Who is Perry Swisher? 13:27 What are some of Idaho’s redeeming qualities? 15:07 Why did LCSC's name change take so long? 16:46 Going over key election races 21:25 Abortion rights and medicinal marijuana 24:22 Thoughts on the Washington legislative session 27:24 Other Marty hot takes 28:39 Marty is not a pansy